Portugal-based Frulact to build first U.S. operation in Idaho

Frulact, an international fruit processor based in Portugal, has signed a Development Agreement with the city of Rupert, Idaho, to build its first U.S. operation. Frulact’s Development Agreement secures a 200,000-sq-ft fruit preparation and processing plant with groundbreaking slated for this spring.

“The city of Rupert has been a wonderful and supportive partner through the long and sometimes difficult process of planning a state-of-the-art food processing facility … and we could not have chosen a better place,” said Joao Miranda, President of Frulact. “We look forward to continuing our collaborative partnership with the city, making continued investments in the community, and becoming an integral part of the city’s social and economic development.”

Frulact’s Rupert facility will be the first manufacturing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Idaho and their first entry into the United States. Frulact, with locations in Portugal, France, Morocco, and Algeria, produces fruit-based preparations for international food industries.

Frulact’s Rupert facility will begin operations in 2015 with approximately 100 employees.